Data from a survey in 2020 revealed that over 90% of organizations worldwide have male executives in high-level positions, while the percentage of female executives is less than 10%. Furthermore, the number of LGBTQIA+ executives is even lower. Despite current campaigns for gender equality and diversity in terms of gender and ethnicity, the majority of executive positions are still held by males. This article may not aim to provide specific reasons for the predominance of male executives in high-level positions, but rather present a perspective based on research studies that examine organizations with openly LGBTQIA+ executives.

Research conducted by Lourenco and colleagues in 2021 compared organizations with openly LGBTQIA+ executives to those that do not have such representation, using data from Outstanding magazine and Financial Times, which listed the top 100 LGBT leaders. The researchers then compared these 100 organizations to similar organizations in terms of country and organizational size. The findings showed that organizations with openly LGBTQIA+ executives had higher organizational value and better profitability than their counterparts.

The researchers explained that the reason organizations with openly LGBTQIA+ executives achieve better results is because these organizations better understand and appreciate individual diversity. Embracing diversity or being unbiased toward these differences leads to a stronger commitment from employees to the organization, motivating them to work harder. Additionally, organizations that embrace diversity tend to have a positive public image, which translates into support from customers. In summary, when LGBTQIA+ executives understand the diversity of their employees, it genuinely contributes to the reputation and profitability of the organization.

However, it's important to note that this research does not establish a causal relationship between having openly LGBTQIA+ executives and the high value and revenue of an organization. It's possible that organizations that already value diversity were more likely to have LGBTQIA+ executives in the first place. Therefore, understanding diversity within an organization may be a contributing factor to its success. From this perspective, it can be seen that organizations with LGBTQIA+ executives tend to have better performance.